The Last Book in the Universe

Lore & Background

The story is set in the Urb, a city devastated by an earthquake called 'The Big Shake,' where poverty, gang warfare, and mind probes are rampant. Spaz, abandoned by his family due to his epilepsy, runs errands for latch-boss Billy Bizmo. He meets Ryter, an old man who preserves the lost arts of literacy and literature, and later learns his adoptive sister Bean is dying of leukemia. Spaz, Ryter, and a young orphan named Little Face journey to find Bean, joined by a proov girl named Lanaya, who is bred to become a Master of Eden. They take Bean to Eden, where she is cured, but Spaz, Ryter, and Bean are expelled because the elders discriminate against non-proovs. Lanaya deactivates all mind probes, causing chaos in the Urb. During the escape from Eden, Ryter is killed by a gang member or proov guard. Spaz learns Billy Bizmo is his biological father. Spaz adopts the name Ryter and writes 'The Last Book in the Universe.'

Reader's Guide

The Last Book in the Universe has received mixed reviews. Critics praised its fast-paced adventure and memorable characters, with Publishers Weekly noting that its futuristic dialect and descriptions convincingly transport readers. However, some reviewers found the science vague and the story not fully developed, with abrupt scenes involving the Monkey Boys and the Furies. The novel won several awards, including the ALA Best Book for YAs, the Maine Lupine Award Honor, the Maryland Readers Medal, the Isinglass Teen Read Award, and a place on the YALSA 100 Best of The Best Books for the 21st Century. Its significance lies in its exploration of literacy and individuality in a technology-saturated dystopia, influenced by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Did You Know?

• The novel is an adaptation of a short story previously written by Rodman Philbrick in a collection called Tomorrowland.
• The story was influenced greatly by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.
• The protagonist Spaz cannot use mind probes because of his epilepsy, which caused his family to abandon him.
• The character Ryter is killed by a gang member or proov guard during the escape from Eden, not by jetbikes, and the blame for deactivating mind probes is not the direct cause of his death.